“Diamond Platnumz Is A Lovely Person To Work With”, Says Top Zambian Model Cartier Zagorski

As I type this, I am watching the behind the scenes episode of the African hit song of the year, Zigo Remix by AY featuring Diamond Platnumz. It’s a truly chilled out afternoon, with birds outside the window making my day even merrier. AY is fondly narrating about his experience working on the project.

A few days ago, I got to have a conversation with super gorgeous Cartier Zagorski, one of the starring ladies in the music video. It was a deep, easy chat and from it, I got to learn loads about the talented Zambian top model. She had just gotten back from a two-week holiday in her home country. In the montage, she performs with Diamond, and has ended up stealing the hearts of millions. The Johannesburg based model is a fast-rising star.

“That girl dancing with Diamond is just life!,” I saw a Facebook post referring to her a couple months ago and sort out to search for this beauty. When I finally found her, I didn’t hesitate to know more about her. I felt honored to interview a second start from Lusaka, having interviewed the late Zambian President Michael Sata’s daughter.

The gorgeous lady has three major professional qualifications and is currently finishing her Law studies at UNISA. You may be wondering what she does away from the camera.

“I love to cook, love to bake. I model part time but at the moment I think because my studies are quite demanding and require a lot from me, that’s my main focus for now,” she says.

Cartier used to be a model booker at Studio Space Pictures – the production company that made Zigo. Through that, she learnt to do music videos as well. She had to take a break from her job a few weeks ago so as to focus more on her education. This, she says, isn’t the end of her passion for the art. She’ll be back once she’s done with school.

“While being involved in the modeling industry, I have also taken up doing pageants. One of the pageants that I won in 2014/2015…I was crowned Miss Earth Zambia, and I think that’s been my biggest achievement so far,” she reveals.

A scene from the Zigo Remix video

The 23-year-old doesn’t consider her engagement in promotional modeling as an occupation, surprisingly.

“It’s definitely a hobby that I enjoy – something that is great to do while you’re still young; while you’re having fun. It also serves as a good source of income especially for students,” she says.

While all this comes with having too much fun, she insists that to succeed in this industry, you need to be very professional in the way you present yourself. You need to make people respect you and that’s how you grow.

That plus hard work – she says that her days as super busy – has helped her work with top African acts, including the MTV EMA award winning Diamond.

“Working with Diamond is always a pleasure. He is a stunning person to work with. It is a lot of fun. Again, it isn’t my first music video – I’ve done many. This might have the tenth video I have done – or even more. It comes naturally. You treat it like any normal day at work, but yes, he’s a lovely person to work with. I had a lot of fun making the video!,” she says.

Her success doesn’t come without challenges as people always think models are ‘beautiful faces without brains. She intends to take on a Masters Degree soon!

So how does she take care of her fit, enviable body? You may be wondering.

“It does take a lot of work – it’s not genetic. You can’t just wake up and you can stuff your face all day. It requires full dedication. I work out every day, except for Saturdays and Sundays…I give myself the weekend. It requires me to stay away from a lot of starch; choosing over protein over a loaf of bread. Fruits can be sweet so you have to careful with which ones you choose. I have a personal trainer who helps me stay in shape; but it really a constant battle. There’s always nice food that you wanna it. Discipline will get you the results,” she signs out.

Honestly, she’s one of the most fit models I’ve ever worked with. As a model or someone interested in keeping fit, I think this should brighten your day! To catch up with her work, be sure to follow her on her Instagram @cartiermz